Clinton’s email: tempest in a server

Hillary Clinton concedes that she should have used government email instead of a private server to conduct business as secretary of state, but that oversight has been overblown by her opponents. (AP Photo/Richard Drew) Richard DrewAP

Hillary Clinton concedes that she should have used government email instead of a private server to conduct business as secretary of state, but that oversight has been overblown by her opponents. (AP Photo/Richard Drew) Richard DrewAP

An inspector general’s report on Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server while serving as secretary of state falls short of delivering a crushing blow to her presidential campaign, or anything close to charges of conspiracy or criminal conduct.

Yes, the report does say, appropriately, that she shouldn’t have used the server, certainly without checking with those responsible for handling records and security. The report said that State officials would not have approved of her reliance on a personal email account to conduct official business. The report criticized the department more broadly and was critical of Clinton and Gen. Colin Powell, secretary of state under George W. Bush, for using personal email “exclusively” for day-to-day operations.

Certainly it appears Secretary Clinton didn’t demonstrate proper sensitivity to potential questions about email and security concerns, but just as with the ridiculously exaggerated Benghazi investigation, accusations aren’t matching reality. There’s no apparent evidence that Clinton was engaged in any deliberate deception or something illegal, much as her critics may want to believe it.